About CCUSC

PROGRAM

The programs of CCUSC can be generally divided into the following eight categories:
Joint Research Programs
Regional Forums and Seminars
International Partnerships
Annual Conferences
Executive Training
Publications
Affiliated Associates and Visiting Scholars
Public Education

1. Joint Research
One of the primary roles of CCUSC is to facilitate cooperative scholarly research activity between the U.S. and China. In this capacity, CCUSC has been pursuing several projects. In 2000, CCUSC launched a multinational collaborative research project on human security. The goal of this project is twofold: 1) to clarify the sources of cooperation and conflict in international arenas among leading states (particularly the U.S. and China, but also Russia), and 2) to identify the kinds of compromises and reconceptualizations of national interest that could foster cooperation in addressing salient human security issues. The papers and recommendations of the scholars will serve as the intellectual framework of follow-up meetings among senior United Nations officials, diplomats, leading journalists and others who play consequential roles in shaping foreign policy in major states. The project brought together scholars from China, Japan, U.S., U.K., Germany, Russia and Canada (whose government is a leading proponent of the human security perspective) at a conference in Vail in April 2001. The project is funded by the Carnegie Corporation and the Fritz Thyssen Foundation in Germany.

In November 2003, the CCUSC launched the first of a series of four dialogues on the possibility, desirability and means for building a comprehensive partnership that would include the United States as well as China and other regional powers for the purpose of addressing effectively the great global issues of the 21st Century. The series, titled "China-U.S. Cooperation in the New Global Context," was funded by the Program in International Peace and Security, Carnegie Corporation of New York.

In addition to these projects, CCUSC hopes to encourage research on China and China-U.S. relations on the University of Denver campus. CCUSC plans to create fellowships to support China related faculty research activities. CCUSC will also host China related thesis contests at both the graduate and undergraduate level. In addition, CCUSC's growing profile in China has also increased the number of applications for graduate study from talented Chinese students, whose presence on the University of Denver campus will further promote the campus' reputation as a center for China-U.S. studies.

2. Jackson/Ho China Forum (formerly the Denver China Forum)
In January 2002, CCUSC inaugurated a monthly Denver China Forum. The forum was renamed as the Jackson/Ho China Forum funded by the William Sharpless Jackson, Jr. Endowment in the fall of 2003. This forum has hosted prominent scholars, government officials, business leaders, and other professionals addressing issues related to China and China-U.S. relations. The forum is directed towards people in academia, government, business, media, etc., and open to both the University of Denver community as well as to the general public.

The speakers of the forum have include Mr. Wei Ruixing, the Chinese Consul General in Chicago, Dr. Jacques deLisle, Tom Farer, Dean of GSIS, Mr. Bajin Zhang Xiaowei Chen, Producer & Anchor of China Central Television (CCTV), Michelle Sie Whitten, President of Encore International, Inc., Ralph Peterson, President of CH2M Hill International, and QingGuo Jia, Associate Dean of the School of International Studies at Beijing University in China, Ambassador Harvey J. Feldman in Heritage Foundation, Mr. Jinkui Li, Elizabeth Chu, Director-General of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Kansas City, Song Xinning, Professor and Associate Dean of School of International Studies at China's People's University, Pieter Bottellier, Former Chief of the World Bank's Resident Mission in Beijing, Ziyun He, Assistant Dean of the School of Finance at China's University of International Business and Economics, Shen Dingli, Deputy Director of Center for American Studies and Professor of International Studies at China's Fudan university, Chen Youwei, former political counselor of Chinese embassy in the US, Liu Liping, Senior fellow of China Institute of Contemporary international Studies, Victor Y. Yuan, Founder and President of China's Horizon Group, China Institute of International Studies Vice-President, Ruan Zongze.

3. International Partnerships
CCUSC has established constructive international partnerships with our counterparts in China. Currently, the formal Affiliates of CCUSC are: Beijing Foreign Studies University, China Institute of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR), China Institute of International Studies (CIIS), Peking University School of International Studies, Renmin (People's) University, Shanghai Institute of International Studies, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, and Anhui University's School of International Education.

Our partnerships with affiliates include annual workshops and lectures in Beijing (hosted alternately by CIIS and CICIR), alternating annual visits to the U.S. by delegations from each of the think tanks, visiting professors each year from Peking University and Renmin (People's) Universities, a stream of visiting scholars from the think tanks, lectures delivered by GSIS faculty at affiliates and other educational institutions, and a quickening flow of applications from talented Chinese students to GSIS seeking admission for graduate study.

The following is one of our recommended study programs in China: The Beijing Program of Asian Studies.

4. Annual Conferences
In May, 2000, the Center organized and hosted the first of what we intend to be annual conferences, called the Annual CCUSC Conference on Change in Contemporary China. Each conference will focus on a single critical issue in China's international relations or its internal development (to the extent the two can be disaggregated). In the first conference, called "Options for Political Change in China: Democracy or Rule of Law?" CCUSC assembled Sinologists from various western universities, a senior World Bank expert, and academic authorities on democratic transitions, together with persons from the private sector who have strong interests in China. The topic was political reform in China. Our focal point was a paper published in China by Professor Pan Wei of Peking University, written while he was a visiting professor at GSIS in the fall of 1999. While rejecting Western-style democracy as inappropriate to China's history and present conditions, the paper called for major change in the present way of governing China in order to achieve what the author calls a "Consultative Rule-Of-Law" System. Discussion of the paper had an unusual degree of intellectual frisson and, in the judgment of participants, coherence. CCUSC will publish a volume consisting of an elaboration of Pan Wei's paper, the case for alternative models of political reform, and detailed comments on the deep historical background of Pan Wei's model and its chances of achieving the goal of a more participatory rule-of-law society.

On May 25 through 27, 2001, at the Vail Cascade Resort in Vail Colorado, CCUSC held its second annual Vail Conference on Change in Contemporary China: "China's Entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO): Winners, Losers, Implications." In this meeting CCUSC looked at the effects of China's entry into the WTO and how it would affect China's economy, particularly the agriculture, banking/finance and telecommunications/IT sectors. CCUSC coincidentally explored the question of whether the agreement ultimately negotiated between the United States and China in connection with China's WTO entry was ideal from the perspective of each country in light of their shared interests. Selected papers of the conference were published in a special section of the Journal of Contemporary China.

On May 2-3, CCUSC hosted an international conference, "The United States, China and Taiwan in a Changing World: Opportunities and Challenges for the 21st Century," at the Loews Denver Hotel. During the opening session, Denver Mayor Wellington Webb, Dr. Ved Nanda, Vice-Provost for International at University of Denver, Mdm. Elizabeth Chu, Director General of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Kansas City, and Mr. Drew Bolin, representing Colorado Governor Bill Owens, made welcome remarks to conference participants. Hon. Chen Chien-jen, Representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Washington DC and Hon. Hank Brown, former US Senator and former President of University of Northern Colorado made keynote speeches at the welcome dinner, which were attended by more than 100 people. An outstanding group of 25 leading scholars, government officials and policy makers present papers and engaged in dialogues on a variety of topics pertinent to the relationships between the US, China and Taiwan. Altogether, 13 research papers were presented and commented by leading scholars and policy-makers from the US and Taiwan. There were more than 100 people among the audience from Greater Denver metropolitan areas. A conference proceeding compiled and most of papers will be published in the Journal of Contemporary China, which is edited at the CCUSC.

Later Conference topics included in 2004: "US-China Relations Under the Bush and Hu Administrations"; in 2005: “US-China-Taiwan Relations in the Second Bush and Chen Shui-bian Administrations”; in 2006: "United-States China Relations: New Challenges and Opportunities for Cooperation"; and in 2007: "The Challenge of a Rising China and US-China Competition/Cooperation in Asia Pacific."

5. Executive Training
The Center draws on the expertise of its faculty Associates and Council members and all units of the University of Denver to develop in conjunction with relevant Chinese institutions training programs for U.S. and Chinese officials and for employees of business and non-profit associations of all kinds. In October 2001, CCUSC signed an international agreement with the China International Economic Relations Society (CIERS) to help the Chinese government train its economic and financial officials and state-owned enterprises executives in Denver. The first group arrived in Denver in November 2003.

6. Publications
As the founder and editor the Journal of Contemporary China (JCC), Professor Suisheng (Sam) Zhao has moved the editorial office of the JCC with him to CCUSC. The journal is recognized as one of the three top China journals in Europe, Australia, and North America. The JCC is the only English language journal edited in North America that provides exclusive information about contemporary Chinese affairs for scholars, businessmen and government policy-makers. The JCC publishes articles of theoretical and policy research and research notes, as well as book reviews of Chinese language works published in mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the United States and other parts of the world. The journal's fields of interest include economics, political science, law, culture, history, international relations, sociology and other social sciences and humanities. JCC was moved from three issues per year to a full-fledged quarterly in 2001.

7. Affiliated Associates and Visiting Scholars Program
To institutionalize DU faculty involvement in the CCUSC activities, a Board of Faculty Associates has been established. Currently 12 faculty members have accepted the invitation to join the board. They are as follows: Peter Golas, Professor, Dept. of History; Peter Ho, Professor and Chair, Dept. of Economics; Barry Hughes, Professor, Graduate School of International Studies; Micheline Ishay, Professor, Graduate School of International Studies; Sarah Nelson, Interim Vice Provost, Graduate Studies & Professor, Dept. of Anthropology; Richard Scudder, Professor, Daniels College of Business; Michael Wirth, Professor and Chair, Dept. of Mass Communications and Journalism Studies & Director, School of Communications; Ved Nanda, Vice-Provost for Internationalization; Micheal Thompson, Professor of Communication; Douglas Allen, Professor, Daniels College of Business; David Hopkins, Director, International Program, Daniel College of Business.

To foster intellectual exchanges among scholars internationally, CCUSC has established a Visiting Scholars Program and brought a number of rising Chinese scholars, officials, and business and professional figures to stay in Denver for periods varying from three months to a year. These rising Chinese scholars and officials, as well as emerging private sector leaders, have participated in our research projects and interacted with our graduate students. Along with the unfolding of this program, CCUSC has enhanced its profile with the new generation of Chinese intellectuals, emerging business and professional leaders, and rising government officials.

In the future, when funding is permitted, CCUSC will maintain a number of Ph.D. dissertation and post-doc fellowships as well. Fellows may conduct China-related research that leads to major publications. They will present their research at the CCUSC China Center Seminar.

8. Public Education and Collaboration
CCUSC has been working to inaugurate a program that would allow a cohort of University of Denver graduate students to go to Peking University for a period of three to six months to study China's language, history, culture, economics and politics. CCUSC has received generous funding from some of its business advisory council members to support the studies of one to four Chinese master's degree students at GSIS every second year.

The CCUSC has entered an agreement with the School of International Studies at the Renmin University of China to launch China's first English-taught MA program of international studies in China. First group of GSIS faculty arrived in China for the 2003-2004 academic year.